The Heart of Everything
by LethargicSeal
Summary: Sequel to Insomnia. Sam fights a loosing battle for a way to save an unwilling Dean from the flames of hell. Depressed Dean. Revenge. Character Deaths. Wincest
1. Flames and Sulfur

**Title: **The Heart of Everything  
**Author: **LethargicSeal  
**Rating: **M for language and sexual content  
**Status:** In Progress  
**Type: **Slash  
**Summary: **Sequel to Insomnia. Sam fights a loosing battle for a way to save an unwilling Dean from the flames of hell. Wincest  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own either Sam or Dean. They belong to the CW.

**A/N: I felt like writing something darker. This story has a pretty dark start that I'm pretty proud of. It's not like most of my work, but hopefully it will pick up and become more like the atmosphere of Insomnia. I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

_Set me free, your heavens a lie… Set me free with your love, set me free._

_Lacuna Coil_

* * *

Sam awoke from his dreams, feeling his body groan with dull aches. He attempted to crawl out of bed but collapsed heavily back to the mattress, the aches in his body preventing him from moving. He let his now refreshed mind wander to the foggy events that happened early that day. 

_The dog had bit into Dean's shoulder, as Dean let out a bloody scream. Sam dug through the piles of fast food wrappers and cassette tapes searching for the only weapon that would save his brother. He glanced quickly at his bloody brother fighting desperately with the enormous beast.__'What was that?' __He saw a metallic shine out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see his brother's gun lying off to the side. He glanced at the dog ripping at Dean's chest with its front claws. __'You have to get to that gun.'_

_Sam made a run towards the gun, but the black dog caught on. It made a rush for Sam, leaving a bloody motionless Dean on the ground. Sam reached the gun but was tackled by the giant animal. He wrestled with the creature, its strength overpowering his own. __'Dean, I can't let him die.' __He looked at Dean, who lay motionless on the road, before grasping the hilt of his gun and pushing it against the dog's chest. He closed his eyes before pulling the trigger. The dog seemed to sense the power shift and moved to free itself. The ringing blast of the shot echoed through the morning sky, followed by fierce growling._

_'Dean?'_

"Dean?" Sam practically shouted. He jolted up in bed, feeling his aching muscles will themselves to life. His gaze shot to the bed next to him, which was neatly made up and unoccupied. "Dean?" He asked more softly this time, voice rasped with worry.

"Whhaat…" came the tired reply of Dean as he rolled over. The shift in the mattress shocked him back. The memories Sam had of the night before where foggy. His lack of sleep making him work literally on impulse rather than ration thought, but none-the-less the acts they made earlier that day came back to him.

"Never mind." Sam answered, letting himself fall back to the bed, feeling his brother roll in close. He slipped into Dean's embrace before letting himself drift back to the sleep he needed.

_"Dean?" Sam spoke, feeling the temperature in the room rise._

_"Don't worry Sam. It's okay." Dean spoke. He was across the room, his face held no emotion, only a trace of happiness mixed with relief._

_"What's going on?" Sam asked, feeling panic sweep over his body._

_"I don't want you to worry about me. I want you to know that I love you." Dean spoke. Sam could feel sweat start to bead at the top of his forehead. The heat in the room was still increasing._

_"I sacrificed myself for you, and I'll die knowing you love me." Dean spoke, flames starting to billow around his feet._

_"No Dean!" Sam shouted, trying to climb out of his bed, but his arms and legs where chained to the mattress. _

_"Goodbye Sam." Dean spoke, a tear slipping down his cheek as he turned his back from Sam. The look on his brother's face to much to see, knowing it would only torture him more than anything hell could throw at him._

_"Dammit Dean. You can't do this to me, not now." Sam shouted, watching as the fire licked its way across the room. Soon the entire room was ablaze, the heat unbearable but still Sam struggled against his restraints. He felt no physical pain, only the pain in his heart as his brother's form was blanketed by the intense flames. _

_The room was filled with cries of pain and screaming as the floor opened up. More flames rose from the hole in the floor, but what was more agonizing where the cries of desperation that were heard. _

_The cracks of whips, the snaps of bones, the smell of sulfur and burning flesh. Sam covered his nostrils, trying to prevent the repulsive smell. He could hear the wicked laughter of demons as they ripped their victims apart. The blood curdling screams of the tortured pierced the heart._

_Dean turned to look at Sam, "I'm sorry." He spoke, barely above a whisper, the tears he cried where unnoticeable as the heat dried them away. Sam pulled harder on his restraints, he swore he could feel them digging into his skin as he screamed to hold his brother one last time, only to say goodbye one last time. He could feel the tears falling down his cheeks as they dried. _

_Dean pulled himself together, forcing himself to grin. "Don't forget about me, Sammy." He said, his voice cracking like the flames that surround him. He let out a sigh, only moments before Hell Hounds broke out of the ground and ripped and pulled at Dean's flesh. _

_"DEAN!" Sam shouted, hearing the agonized screams of his brother adding to those already filling the room. He finally broke from his restraints and rushed to his older brother's aid._

_The hounds ripped and pulled at Dean's flesh, his blood painting the floor before boiling into small dried pools. Sam's heart broke at the sight of his brother's broken body before him. He reached out to comfort Dean, but the hell hounds pulled him out of reach. Pulling him closer and closer to the flame filled hell hole. _

_"No Dean!" Sam shouted, collapsing onto the charred remains of the floor, cupping his face in his hands. "You can't leave me!"_

_The only reply he got was bloody gargled cough as Dean lifted his hand to reach out for Sam. Sam looked up, catching the look of pain in his brother's eyes before completely breaking down. _

_The hounds pulled Dean into the abyss. Sam watched as his body disappeared into the sea of flames and the hole closed up behind him. The sounds of anguish and death were silenced, and the flames receded. Sam wept, feeling the tears slide down his face and drip onto his knees, the coldness creeping over him._

Sam awoke in a pool of his own sweat, feeling the air conditioning pushing cold air across his wet form. He shivered from the cold before rolling closer into Dean…. who wasn't there.

"DEAN?!" Sam shouted, thinking that his dream had been true. He glanced over the room, taking in the scenery that hadn't changed. Standing up, he made his way shakily to the window and looked out just as the Impala pulled up.

"Dean!" Sam screamed, running out the door in nothing but a pair of boxers.

"Sam?" Dean asked as Sam assaulted him, pulling him into a deep embrace.

"Thank god you are still alive." Sam sobbed into Dean's shoulder. "I thought you were really gone."

"I only went to burn that damn black dog's corpse." Dean answered, cupping the back of his older brother's head and letting Sam cry into his shoulder. "Everything's okay Sam. What happened?"

"I dreamed that your time was up. They dragged you into hell, all the torment and death." Sam babbled into Dean's shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm still here. I'm still alive. I'm not going anywhere for a while." Dean cooed. He tried to maneuver them back into the motel, but before they could Sam broke the hug and stepped back.

"I can't watch you die Dean." Sam spoke in a whisper. "There has to be a way to save you."

"You can't." Dean spoke. "If you try, you'll die. I couldn't live with myself if that happened."

"And how can I live with myself after watching you dragged into Hell? Huh?" Sam shouted.

Dean's features softened. "I know your scared, but don't be. I'll be fine."

"It's Hell Dean. You won't be fine." Sam shouted.

Dean looked away, avoiding eye contact with Sam.

"I won't let you die." Sam shouted.

"Yes you will." Dean ordered. "Cause I won't sit back and watch you die if you intervene." Dean smashed his fist against the wall causing Sam to flinch. Sam wanted to reply but held his tongue.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Dean spoke, breaking the silence and disappearing behind the door. Sam was about to follow but heard a voice behind him.

"There is a way to save him, you know." A female voice stated.

"Who are you?" Sam spoke, turning to see a blonde woman with piercing eyes.

"Ruby." She answered, her voice was comforting but masked with mystery.

"What do you know about my brother?" Sam spoke, feeling himself calm down. There was no sense in attacking her if she did know something.

"That in about nine months your brother will be dragged into the bowels of hell because he sold his soul for his beloved brother." She spoke, spitting out the words in a mocking sort of way.

"How can you possibly know that? Are you a hunter or something?" Sam asked.

"No." Ruby said almost laughing. "Not at all."

"Then what are you?" Sam asked, feeling his anger rise.

Ruby glued her eyes to Sam before letting them glaze over with the darkness of her true self.

"A demon." Sam answered. He was trapped, with nothing to defend himself with. "DEAN!" he shouted hoping his brother would come to the rescue.

"I can help you." She answered.

"Why would you want to help us, you bitch." Sam swore, looking for anything to use as a weapon.

"Just hear me out." She started. "There is a way to save your brother from the flames of hell."

"And what is that?" Sam gritted through his teeth.

"First, you need to do something for me." She spoke, a hint of venom in her voice.

"Why should I trust you?" Sam threatened.

"What do you have to loose?" Ruby asked, "Your brother? Oh wait, you're going to loose him without my help anyway."

"You bitch." Sam swore.

"Name calling isn't going to help save your brother."

"What do you want me to do?" Sam reluctantly asked.

"I need you to trust me, and to gain that, I want you to see into your brother's soul. I know you know about the things he does, how he hates the person he sees in the mirror. I know about your relationship with him. How it has turned to more than just brothers. You know what I'm talking about. Can you tell the battle scars from self inflicted scars anymore?" She spoke.

Sam's gaze dropped to the asphalt, tears stinging his eyes. He knew his brother was hurting deep inside, he knew the things that he did, but he thought bringing them to the surface would only make things worse.

"I can't help you save your brother, unless he wants to be saved." Ruby spoke. "You need to convince him that his life still means something. That you still need him."

Sam looked up from the floor to see that Ruby had vanished. It seemed like a simple task, but he knew his brother all to well. This was going to be tough; he had been trying for some time now. Dean had given up on the world and Sam was struggling to keep his brother from falling apart.

He sighed. It was advice from a demon, but to gain her trust, all he had to do was continue what he was already trying to achieve. Sam turned to open the door, Ruby's words still echoing in his head giving him hope.

_"There is a way to save your brother."_


	2. Silent Screams Finally Heard

**A/N: This chapter seemed to be necessary since Dean's attitude has changed drastically since Insomnia. I thought I would explain it a little bit and show the connections.**

* * *

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming, can not cease for the fear of a silent night. Oh how I long for deep sleep dreaming… …If you need to leave the world you live in, may your head doubt and stay a while. Though you may not remember dreaming, something waits for you to breathe again._

_ Evanescence_

* * *

_Dean Centric_

* * *

Dean pushed his way into the room. It hurt him to see his brother trying so hard on him._'I don't deserve this. My life isn't as important as his. He still has a purpose. Did I ever have a purpose?' _

He pushed his way through the room, some invisible force preventing him from moving. He grabbed his bag and dumped the contents out. A few sets of clothes and their father's journal fell onto the mattress, laying at odd angles and scattered about. Dean stepped back, running his hands through his belongings, frantically searching. His desperation peeked and he roughly pushed everything to the side, their father's journal crashing to the floor and scattering pages in every direction.

Dropping his face to his palms, he sobbed softly. He bent down to pick up his discarded duffel, reaching his hand in and grasping what he was searching for. His features gently softened as he pulled a long knife out. The silver blade glistened in the soft light of the motel. Rolling the edge of sleeve up around his shoulder he brought the weapon to graze against his skin. He smiled at the familiar feel of the cold metal against his skin, holding it there for a few moments.

He gently caressed his skin with the sharp edge of the knife, reveling in the cold metallic feel. _'You're useless. Your only purpose was to protect Sam. You felt happiness in the last few days, but how long did you think it would last? You already lost it. You failed to protect him already as that black dog mauled you. Did you think Sam would stay with you forever? You're leaving him, after all. Surprising that he hasn't left already. He got what he wanted out of you. This sick habit you started when Sam died can't be covered up by your love for him. Is that why you bleed? To remind yourself that you're not dead quite yet? That you still have time before the end?' _The voice in his head taunted him.

"Quit it!" Dean shouted, feeling alone. _'You know the truth. You know that Sam doesn't see you as anything more than a second chance.'_

"Sam loves me." Dean spoke through clenched teeth. _'Does he love you or is he just milking you for everything you're worth?'_

Dean had snapped. His will had all but left as he dragged the knife against his skin, hissing as it dug into his skin, the deep red line following it's every movement. He dropped the knife to the floor, watching with wide eyes as the blood beaded up on the fresh wound.

_'Worthless. You used to be happy. Do you want to die? Is that why you lied to Sam? Told him that if he tried to help you he would die? That isn't quite true, is it Dean. He can try all he wants; it's you alone that can't weasel your way out of things.'_

"I don't want him to waste his time on a lost cause." He whispered, trembling as the voice in his head interrogated him. He picked himself up off the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

He turned the shower on before taking his clothes off. Once his shirt was gone, he looked at himself in the mirror, eyeing the wounds on his chest, the deep jagged bite on his shoulder. He reached up and ran his fingers over the marks, wincing as the sharp sting shot through him.

_'When did you become so weak? Your father would have been disappointed in you with your latest performance.'_

"Fuck you!" Dean shouted, more at his own reflection than the voice in his head. He had fallen apart. He had blamed his love for Sam, for his withdrawal. He knew this. He was trying to protect Sam from his darker side. It had torn him up for the first three months. He tried as hard as he could to keep up appearances, but every night was a broken hell that Sam slept peacefully through.

_'Sam hasn't been sleeping lately… What have you been doing?'_

"Keeping up appearances… locking myself in the bathroom and torturing myself." Dean sighed, his gaze lowering to the sink. "Or making sure Sam wasn't nearby to see… Like when he first kissed me, I was alone in the Impala for a while."

"Dean!" came the soft cry of Sam, barely heard over the crashing of water from the shower.

"Sam?" Dean asked.

_'Keeping up appearances? How long do you think you can hide this from Sam? Once he finds out, will he stay? What more does he need from you?'_

"Shut up! My brother needs me." Dean shouted, feeling the sting in his chest tighten.

_'Does he need you, or do you need him? You don't have anyone in this world except him. Selfish bastard. You're trying to keep him from leaving so you don't have to die alone.'_

Dean just watched himself in the mirror, hating himself more with each word his conscience threw at him. He had forgotten what happiness was until earlier that morning. When Sam had saved him, nursed him to health and then they made love. It was a happiness that seemed so far away.

_'You don't deserve Sam. You're disgusting, unwanted, and most of all… unneeded. You already have a death sentence, what does it matter if you die?'_

"I can still protect Sam." Dean whimpered out.

_'Really? Using yourself as bait or throwing yourself into harms way isn't protecting him. You were at full strength, but let that black dog rip into you.'_

Dean clenched his fists into balls, his brows lowering in frustration. _'Did you want that beast to hurt you? To make you bleed, to make you feel alive?'_

He couldn't speak; only listen as the voice tortured him. _'Pitiful. How do you expect to last in hell if this is torture enough? Not everything in hell is physical torture.'_

Dean unclenched his fists and rested them on the counter, shifting his weight onto them. His gaze lowered to his bruised fist. His anger hadn't been at Sam. They were the complete opposite; he was trying to keep his brother from wasting his time.

The voice in his head was laughing at him, thick and poisonous laughter. _'Lost cause… sad excuse of a human.'_

"Sam still has dreams, he's to good for this kind of life." Dean sighed. He was fighting a loosing battle with his own head.

_'Did you never have dreams? Never any other expectations in your life? You never questioned anything, followed orders without knowing the outcomes. No freewill.'_

Dean looked away from the mirror, unable to look at what he saw anymore. _'Sam is going to forget you when you are gone. He's expecting more from you, and you don't have anything else to give him.'_

Dean winced at the mental blow. He wanted to protect Sam. He could if he wasn't so weak, if he wasn't going to die.

_'Don't waste your thoughts. You are going to die and there is nothing you can do about it.'_

"FUCK YOU!" Dean shouted, balling his hands into fists and connecting them with the mirror. The sharp pain from the snap of his bones shot through him, small shards of glass cutting into him. The mirror shattered, falling into pieces that cut him as they fell, leaving little red slices up and down his arms. _'I've been looking in a mirror for so long. That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side. All the little pieces falling, shatter. Shards of me too sharp to put back together; Too small to matter, but big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.' _sang his conscience in a mocking tone. The glass shattered again as it hit the floor.

Dean leaned against the counter, feeling the sting of sharp glass cutting into his arms and hands.

"DEAN!" Sam shouted from the other side of the door. He noticed the door wasn't locked and pushed it open, finding Dean standing in the middle of a pool of broken glass and his own blood. "Oh my god, Dean."

He walked around the glass prison that held his brother and grabbed a nearby towel. Carefully stepping closer to his brother, he wrapped the towel around Dean's naked body, watching as the white towel began to stain red with blood.

Dean flinched as the towel was wrapped around him, but melted into the touch, letting Sam's touch warm his bruised and battered body. Sam let go of Dean to turn the shower off, leaving Dean worried and alone until Sam returned. Sam pulled his older brother close to him, just holding him close.

"Do you hate me?" Dean asked, the beginnings of tears starting in his eyes.

"Of course not, why would you think that?" Sam answered, smoothing his brother's hair back.

"Sam…" Dean started, waiting until Sam looked into his eyes. "I don't want to die."

Sam looked deep into his brother's eyes, feeling the sincerity in his words. "Then I'll do what I can to save you."

Dean lowered his head to Sam's shoulder and aloud his younger brother to lift him out of the pool of glass, and gently placing him on the bed. He went back to the bathroom to retrieve a washcloth and began to gently clean and bandage Dean's wounds, stopping at Dean's broken hand.

"Christ, Dean." Sam said, examining the break. "I'm going to have to set it."

Dean nodded in reply at Sam's words, expecting the pain any second, barely making a noise as his bones crunched back into place. A solitary tear sliding down his cheek.

"There are a lot of little shards in your cuts. I'm going to have to take them out." Sam spoke, feeling the pain his brother was in. Dean merely nodded as Sam retrieved the tweezers and began to pick them out.

One bloody glass shard… Two bloody glass shards… His conscience was laughing at him as his brothers experienced hands cleaned out the wounds. Dean was becoming light headed from all the small wounds and was drifting into sleep as Sam finished cleaning him and bandaged the cuts. Sam left to wash out the washcloth and to sweep up the glass leaving Dean to sleep.

_'You're going to die, and neither your brother nor your will can do anything about it.'_

"I can stop the pain if I will it all away." Dean whispered. His conscience laughed loudly as he sleep claimed him.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was inspired greatly by Evanescence lyrics. There are a couple instances that I used them, but the song at the very top seems to sum up the chapter pretty well. So I thought it would be interesting to put up. Thanks for reading, please leave me with your thoughts.**


	3. Blood and Time

**A/N: I didn't mean to follow the last chapter so closely with the show. Sorry about that. Chapter three focuses on Sam again, as will most of this story, I just wanted to get Dean's perspective on everything out of the way to continue.**

* * *

_Don't be afraid, participate and, just give us all your trust. Your soul will be saved. Just honor me, I'll set you free so, get ready to join the very last crusade_

_Epica_

* * *

"_There is a way to save your brother."_

* * *

Sam clung to those words for the next 6 months. They were his only hope, his only prayer. Ruby had disappeared off the face of the planet, leaving Sam with only faith that she would return. _'She promised to help me if I could convince Dean not to give up on the world.' _

He looked at the person who was once his brother, but was now an empty shell of despair. _'What happened to you, Dean?' _He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he returned his attention back to the road, relaxing into the familiar roar of the engine.

Dean lay awake in the passenger seat, dark bags hanging under his eyes. He stared off into space, watching the tree's fly by, taking them in and making sure he wouldn't forget them, watching them for the last time. _'I can tell you're trying, but will you ever be the same?' _Sam thought, _'Since when do you let me drive? I thought I had you figured out… The cutting, the depression, I could understand it, but now you are a completely different person.' _

"You hungry, Dean?" Sam asked, turning his attention to Dean.

Dean's eyes widened in shock, and he shouted. "SAM! LOOK OUT!"

Sam's attention went back to the road seeing the dark figure in the middle of the road. "OH SHIT!" He yelled, slamming his foot into the brake, hearing the tires squeal, pulling the car into a stop inches from the figure.

"It's her." Sam spoke, his voice low.

"What? Who the hell is that?" Dean asked.

Sam turned the engine off and stepped out of the car. "Ruby."

"Who?" Dean repeated, feeling himself climb out of the car as well.

"It's been a while, Sam." Ruby sneered. She eyed Dean with malicious eyes. "He doesn't look like he cares, but I can tell he does."

"Time to keep your side of the deal." Sam all but shouted. He waited 6 months for her to appear. Was she going to wait until the next 3 months where gone? Show up the day before Dean's death?

"Calm down." Ruby sneered, her eyes penetrating right through Sam.

"What the friggin' hell is going on, Sam?" Dean asked, starring up at Sam, eyes cold and frightened like a little child's.

"You didn't tell him? That's low Sam." Ruby said coldly, turning towards Dean. "He made a deal with a demon just like everyone else in your family." Dean shrunk back as he grasped the words.

"Don't worry, he didn't sell his soul." Ruby snickered, noting the rise in anger from Dean.

"What took you so long?" Sam asked, "You waited six months to finally return."

"You can't rush these kinds of things, Sam." Ruby sneered. "If you did I could have made a mistake and then only God knows what will happen." She laughed at her own joke, making Dean cringe and hate her even more.

"Anyway," Ruby started, "I see that you were able to convince him that life is worth living."

Sam nodded as she spoke watching Dean as he remained silent. "That's good, because if you didn't it would make things more difficult."

"Why is that?" Sam asked.

"Because we need his blood." Ruby continued.

"How much." Dean asked, breaking his silence since the conversation started.

"Not to much, but enough." Ruby smiled. "Shouldn't be a problem for you, Dean. I understand that you bleed yourself on a regular basis."

Dean glared at her, feeling the need to punch her, to rip her throat out. The only thing keeping him from this was his brother's trust in her. Trusting a demon… He would never understand it, but he loved his brother. He didn't trust her, but he trusted his brother's judgment.

"That's not all," She stated, drawing both brothers attention back to her. "We also need yours, Sam."

"Not gonna happen." Dean shouted. "Sam doesn't need to shed his own blood for me."

"Don't even start, Dean. It's okay for you to bleed for me, but not vice versa?" Sam shouted. Dean slumped back against the Impala, hearing Sam's words echo around in his head.

"What do we need to do?" Sam asked.

"We need to find an empty building to hold the ritual. Basically, we combine Dean's blood with a special type of sand. The sands of time. This will slow the time around Dean down, giving him about 100 years or so until they come looking for his soul."

Sam listened to Ruby's explanation, but his brow furrowed. "Then why do you need my blood?"

"Your blood will be mixed in after that part of the ritual is finished. This will prevent Dean from being lost in time. His body will slow down, and he may seem motionless as the sand takes effect, but when your blood is added, it will allow his body to remain in this time and prevent his year from ending."

"What now?" Dean asked, having been lost for the majority of explanation.

Ruby sighed, "Basically, Time will slow down for you, Dean. But when Sam's blood is added it bring you back to our normal speed, but prevent your year from ending."

Dean nodded, still not understanding. Sam noticed it and tried to explain it to him one more time. "Basically it will stop time but keep it going. It's alteration of time. It can prevent your year from ending."

"Oh… Then why did you have to explain all this mumbo jumbo?" Dean asked.

"Whatever," Ruby spoke, "It's hard to come by sands of time. Rare items."

"I would say so, most mystical objects are pretty rare." Sam spoke.

"Lets go, I have a spot picked out already, everything is set up. We just need to add your blood."

They pulled up to an empty warehouse and stopped just outside the door. Sam cut the engine, creating an eerie silence. Ruby stepped out of the of the back seat, the doors creaking on it's hinges as she closed them and disappeared into the building.

"Are you sure about this?" Dean asked.

"Not really." Sam spoke, "but she's helped us out so far. Couldn't hurt to try it anyway."

Sam and Dean entered the building, spotting Ruby over a small mortar full of the sand, stirring it slowly with the pestle. She subconsciously thumbed the hilt of her knife, making sure it was still tightly fastened to her belt.

"This is it?" Sam asked, looking around.

"Yeah. All we need to do is add Dean's blood and recite the words." Ruby spoke, watching Dean flinch under her words.

Dean looked to his brother, asking his brother what to do without really asking.

"Come on, Dean." Ruby spit, "Not like you aren't used to this kind of thing."

Dean growled before rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to his elbow. He pulled out his knife and gently grazed the blade against his skin. He shivered at the cold steel against his skin, the familiar need taking over him. He sliced into his forearm, the pain pulsing over his entire body, shrinking into it. The blood started to flow freely from the wound and drop to the ground. Ruby caught the blood in the mortar and began to stir it while chanting.

Sam watched his brother as he bled, amazed as the time around him began to slow. He watched the drops of blood still in the air as his brother's body froze into position.

"It caught him. Now all we need is your blood to bring him back." Ruby spoke, still stirring Dean's blood into the sand. Sam took out his knife and felt the edge slide against his skin. He took a deep breathe before pushing harder and watching the red liquid find it's way out and slowly drip down his arm.

Ruby continued to chant, catching Sam's blood and stirring it in with Dean's. Sam felt himself grow weak, like the life was being pulled out of him. It came rushing back to him all at once; he looked around and saw the steady breathing of his brother.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, pulling his brother into a hug.

"What took you guys so long? Felt like I was waiting for days." Dean spoke, letting his brother embrace him.

Dean made his way to the wall to help brace him. "Is it done?" Sam asked.

"Should be." Ruby answered.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is up, so if your interested just move right on to the next. Hope you enjoyed it.**

* * *


	4. The Nightmare We've Created

**A/N: Okay… This chapter is kind of gory… Enjoy!**

* * *

_I hear them getting closer, their howls are sending chills down my spine. And time is running out now, they're coming down the hills from behind… When we start killing, it's all coming down right now. From the nightmare we've created, I want to be awakened somehow… (I want to be awakened right now)….._

* * *

_Dean turned to look at Sam, "I'm sorry." He spoke, barely above a whisper, the tears he cried where unnoticeable as the heat dried them away. Sam pulled harder on his restraints, he swore he could feel them digging into his skin as he screamed to hold his brother one last time, only to say goodbye one last time. He could feel the tears falling down his cheeks as they dried. _

_Dean pulled himself together, forcing himself to grin. "Don't forget about me, Sammy." He said, his voice cracking like the flames that surround him. He let out a sigh, only moments before Hell Hounds broke out of the ground and ripped and pulled at Dean's flesh. _

_"DEAN!" Sam shouted, hearing the agonized screams of his brother adding to those already filling the room. He finally broke from his restraints and rushed to his older brother's aid._

_The hounds ripped and pulled at Dean's flesh, his blood painting the floor before boiling into small dried pools. Sam's heart broke at the sight of his brother's broken body before him. He reached out to comfort Dean, but the hell hounds pulled him out of reach. Pulling him closer and closer to the flame filled hell hole._

"Is it done?" Sam spoke, favoring his arm and watching Ruby. Dean was propped up against the wall, clutching at his bleeding arm, breathing heavily.

"Should be." Ruby answered, falling to her knees. The ritual was intense, leaving her body worn and tired. "You should be free, Dean."

Dean looked over at her, she was smiling… Why would a demon want to help him? Then he saw Sam, the same smile, if not bigger, pasted across his face.

"It's all over." Sam started, feeling the weight of the world being lifted from his shoulders. "You're going to live, Dean!" He made his way over, and pulled his brother into a hug, feeling the life run through Dean.

A high pitched scream pierced through the air, startling everyone in the room. "What was that?" Sam shouted over the noise, watching Ruby quickly stand to her feet. She brought her hand up to her head, trying to keep herself from falling back to the floor in her haste to stand.

"I don't know!" Ruby replied after she recovered, reaching for her knife. "It doesn't seem good, though."

Sam felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Ruby?" he asked, sensing the tension in the air. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure…" She spoke, fear clouding her eyes, "but whatever it is, it can't be good."

The temperature in the room seemed to increase ten fold. _'No, no, no… This can't be happening! We won, dammit!'_ "Ruby, what the fuck is going on? They aren't supposed to take him for another three months!"

"The ritual must have sped it up instead of slowing it down." Ruby explained. "It must have had something to do with the demons blood in you, Sam." Sam looked over at Dean, realizing what was about to happen.

"Dean…" Sam all but sobbed out. He heard Ruby shout something, but was entranced, watching his brother for what was probably the last time. He could see the fear in his brother's eyes, the pain in his heart, flickering across his features as fast as the flames billowed up out of the floor.

"Sam!" Ruby shouted, pulling her knife out and tossing Sam a shot gun, before taking her stance, "Get in front of Dean. Don't let anything that comes out near him!"

"Sam?" Dean choked, the fire ripping a hole in the floor filling the room with the scent and sounds of death. "Is this it?"

Sam turned from his brother, the pain in his arm forgotten as he heard the pain in his brother's voice. "SAM!" Ruby shouted as the flames grew. "Sam! You need to focus!"

_'All the cutting, all the self hate he has, yet he still tried. We tried to save him… I failed him… I told him I could save him…'_

The first hell hound emerged, a flash of snarls. Ruby was the first to act, putting herself between Dean and the beast, taking the full brunt of the dog's advance. Screaming, she fell to the floor as the hell hound's teeth tore into her hip. Her crimson blood fell freely from her wound as the hound released her, ready to hit her with another blow. "Sam, you can't just stand there! They will take Dean if you don't do something!" She flipped the blade in her hand before plunging it into the hound's chest, watching it draw its last breath, dying in a pool of its own dried blood. _'After everything he's been through, how depressed he is, and now he doesn't have time to say goodbye.'_

"Sam!" Ruby shouted, trying to shake him into reality. "This is gate to hell! Anything can happen, your worst nightmares… You have to focus on saving Dean. Don't let this place get the better of you!"

She plunged her knife into the next hound, feeling it die as its blood sprayed onto her. Her hair was covered in dark blood and clung to her delicate face.

Festering corpses emerged, the chains they held clinking together. Rotting skin and muscle hung from their bodies, some ripping off as they crawled out of the abyss. "Sam…" Dean spoke, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Sam! You need to move… Do something! They are after me; I won't go down without a fight."

Dean grabbed the gun out of his brother's hand. He knew it wouldn't do much, but it would slow them down. He watched Ruby as another hell hound sunk its teeth into her forearm. She shook it off before stabbing it between the eyes, watching them glaze over before wrenching her knife free.

Ruby was struck by a chain, the hook on the end slashing across her face. The intense heat of the room drying her blood as it slipped down her cheeks. Dean shot rock salt into the abomination, stunning the creature long enough to give Ruby a chance to sneak in and stab it, the slime and rotten flesh mixing with the blood to pool on the ground.

"Sam!" Ruby screamed, freeing her knife from the rotting flesh. "Watch out!"

_'This is just the same as my dream… all I need to do is wake up.' _Sam snapped back into reality, hearing his own scream, as three decaying ghouls whirled their chains into his flesh. The jagged blades of the hooks piercing into his arms and legs, pinning him to the wall.

"SAM!" Dean shouted, blasting the head off of one of the abominations in a spray of blood. Dean watched his trapped brother's blood spew from around the sharp hooks as he rushed to his brother's side. Dean could see Sam's strangled agony as he pulled against the restraints.

"Dean…" Sam spoke, crying softly, "I wish I was strong enough to save you."

"If you aren't strong enough, how do you expect me to be?" Dean asked, tears slipping down his cheeks before they dried.

Their attention was returned as Ruby's blood curdling scream pierced through the air. Dean turned in time to see her crash to the floor; the clothes on her stomach burnt away, the skin underneath sizzling. She clutched at her stomach, before attempting to stand up. Her attacker kicked out her arms, making her fall the ground. She lost her grip on her knife, which slid across the room.

"Run!" Ruby screamed, crawling up onto her knees.

"I can't leave Sam." Dean yelled. Ruby looked up at the younger brother. Sam's eyes were full of pain, his arms spread out, the hooks dug through his palms, his left leg pinned to the wall. He looked almost like he was being crucified. _'Are we all going to die here?' _Sam thought, seeing Ruby practically submissive body.

Ruby was at the feet of a man with a black cape draped over his shoulders. The heat that radiated from him made the room even more unbearably hot, magnifying the stench and noises. The sick snapping of bones and the cracks of whip against flesh could be heard behind him. Dean shrunk back against the wall at the sounds, burring his face into his brother's shoulder.

The deep snarls of hell hounds were heard over the torture in hell, and the cloaked man grinned. He gripped the chains holding Sam in place, hearing them clink together was sickening. His grin never left as he ripped the hooks out of Sam's flesh without mercy, hearing Sam's skin and muscle rip under the serrated hooks.

Sam screamed and fell to the charred floor, watching as blood poured out of the holes in his palms before boiling into small dried pools.

"Sam!" Dean yelled, watching his brother fall, but unable to catch him. Ruby climbed to her feet once again, making her way to her knife as more hell hounds climbed out of the hole. Dean fell to the ground, holding his younger brother's body, watching the hounds advance on him.

The hounds hit Dean, pushing him against the wall, biting deep into his flesh, howling as they tasted his blood on their tongues. The cloaked man watched as the hounds ripped at Dean's flesh, still holding the chains in his hand.

Ruby reached her knife, holding it tightly in her hands. The sounds of Dean's crying heard over the sounds of death. Ruby bit her lip at the sight of the hounds tearing Dean's flesh, feasting on his blood. She advanced towards the man, but was stopped as one of the hooked chains was slung into her shoulder.

Sam pulled himself up onto his knees, watching Ruby fall to her knees, her eyes dark showing her demonic soul. The hook was ripped from her body, a small shower of blood spraying around her as she fell face first to the ground, blood seeping from her wound and being soaked up by her shirt.

Dean's screams pulled Sam's attention from Ruby to his brother. Sam's eyes widened as he watched the relentless attacks of the hell hounds. He crawled towards his brother, as he grew closer the hounds pulled back, leaving Dean's bloody body. His clothes were ripped and deep gashes pulsing crimson blood could be seen on his arms, legs, and torso.

"Dean?" Sam spoke, his broken and battered hand reached out, ignoring the pain that shot through him as he closed his hand around his brother's. Dean's hand was cold, despite the furnace they were in and his eyes were glazed over. "Don't leave me, Dean."

Dean weakly grasped Sam's hand, the only action he could accomplish. The cloaked man laughed evilly, swinging the hooked chains in his hand. He whipped them at Dean, the hooks digging deep into his chest, one below each shoulder. Sam felt Dean's hand squeeze his own as the sharp hooks dug into his flesh, hearing the gurgled scream. The chains clinked noisily together before being pulled tight.

"Time to go home, Dean." The cloaked figure finally spoke, his voice deep and raspy. He laughed again before dragging Dean's body towards the pit.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, watching his brother being slowly dragged across the floor, a smear of blood trailing behind. Sam held onto Dean's hand as long as he could before the grip became too slippery from their sweat and blood. Dean's strangled moans could be heard as the hooks pulled at his flesh, his hand still outstretched, waiting for Sam to save him.

The cloaked man stood at the edge of the hole, reeling in the helpless Dean. Sam crawled as fast as he could, to hold onto Dean just a little longer, to help him through the pain. Dean became light headed and started to drift in and out of consciousness.

Ruby was on her feet, knife in hand. She had snaked her way to the cloaked figure, plunging her knife deep into his stomach, turning the knife and watching blood pour out of the wound in spurts before pulling the knife out and pushing it back in again. The cloaked man groaned in pain as the knife slid into his gut, pouring parts of his intestine out. Ruby wrenched her knife free and stepped back, watching as the figure fell into the flaming pit.

The chain that the man was still holding clanked as he fell further into the pit. Dean lay motionless, watching Sam with tear filled eyes. He whispered an apology before the chain went taut, roughly pulling Dean into motion. The pull tearing the hooks further up his shoulders, causing Dean's scream to fill the room and his blood to gush out in pulses onto the blackened floor.

Ruby watched the chains slip into the darkness, then choked at the sight of Dean's tortured body slide past. She reached her hand out to him as he passed, grabbing onto his arm as he hurled towards the fire spewing hole. She snapped into motion as she was carried with Dean to the edge. She dug her fingers deep into the side of the pit, holding Dean's arm as they rocked to a stop.

Dean's eyes looked up at Ruby, his face revealing pure terror. It only lasted a moment as the chains holding him once again went taut, the hooks pulling his sternum and ribs out from the dead weight of the cloaked man on the other side. His eyes glazed over as the hooks and the majority of his chest fell into the darkness, followed by a steady stream of his dripping blood.

Ruby let out a cry as she watched Dean's motionless body. "Ruby!" Sam yelled, making his way to the edge.

"SAM! Stay where you are!" Ruby shouted, "I don't want you to see your brother like this." She paused; Dean's dead weight was becoming increasingly harder to hold. If she didn't let go, they would both crash down into hell.

"Ruby! The hole is closing." Sam shouted. "You have to get out of there!"

Ruby watched as the walls started to close in around her, she tried to pull herself up, but couldn't hold both her and Dean's weight. "I can't hold him, Sam." She whined, straining her muscles to pull them up. Her hand's where sweaty, and Dean's body was increasingly becoming heavier.

"Fuck!" she screamed as she lost her grip on Dean's body and watched him plummet into the depths of hell. She steadied herself and started to pull herself up to the mouth of the hole. She made her way to top, pulling her legs over the edge, and collapsing on the ground as the abyss closed completely.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked, crawling towards Ruby.

"I couldn't hold him… I'm sorry Sam." She said, her strength leaving her. The burns and cuts she could deal with, but the huge burn on her stomach and stab to her shoulder were heavy.

Sam crawled the rest of the gap between himself and Ruby, resting his throbbing hand on her shoulder. _'We're alive… but Dean. He's gone, and three months early… This is all your fault, Ruby.' _ Sam lost consciousness as he gripped Ruby's shirt in his hands, his anger fading as he slipped away.

He woke up in a soft bed, his wounds were cleaned and bandaged. He looked around, trying to find an explanation when he spotted Ruby sitting in the corner, playing with her knife.

"I don't blame you for being pissed." Ruby spoke. "But this war is still going to happen, you need to be ready to face it alone."

"The next time I see you… I'll kill you." Sam whispered, the anger in his eyes burning holes into Ruby's body. Ruby sighed before standing up and making her way towards him.

"I won't stop you," she answered, resting her knife on the end-table next to Sam's bed. "You'll need this more than I will, Sam. Don't loose hope; your brother would still want you to fight."

Ruby turned and left, leaving Sam alone in the dark room. He reached for the knife on the end-table, holding it in his hands.

_'Next time I see you, Ruby. I'll kill you.' _ He thought as he slid the knife into its sheath.

* * *

…_The sun is rising, the screams have gone. Too many have fallen, few still stand tall. Is this the ending of what we've begun? Will we remember what we've done wrong? When we start killing, it's all coming down right now. From the nightmare we've created, I want to be awakened somehow… (I want to be awakened right now)_

_Within Temptation – The Howling_

* * *

**A/N: Vengeful Sammy! HELLS YEAH! Next chapter is the final chapter, Your love is appreciated. **


End file.
